Diet n. 1. The usual food and drink of a person or animal. 2. A regulated selection of foods, especially as prescribed for medical reasons. 3. Something used, enjoyed, or provided regularly: subsisted on a diet of detective novels during his vacation

The Dictionary gives us a few definitions of the word diet.  I am sure most people who think of this word would think of at least one of these definitions.  Unfortunately most of those people would think of definition number two.  I say “unfortunately” because when we now say the word “diet”, it brings to mind eating food we don’t like, constant cravings and fears of failure.

I like to think of the word diet as definition number one, your diet is what you eat or drink PERIOD.  That’s all it is.  It doesn’t have to be something you are on.  It is just something you, like everyone else in the world, have had since before you were born.

We have been eating since before birth and our diets have evolved and changed more over our lives than probably anything else.  Some for the better and some for worse, but one way or another we have always been dieting.  So lets look at dieting as just eating and drinking, nothing more and nothing less.  It is time to get back to basics, time to understand how we can make better choices regarding what we eat and what result these choices will have.

Okay, now we are at the hard part, this is the meat and potatoes (pun definitely intended) of getting into shape.  You are only in the gym for 1 hour of the day, the other 23 hours are spent on rest and this topic.  You have heard the expression “you are what you eat”.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg.  You are what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat and so much more.

I find it fascinating how little changes in our diet effect our body composition and overall health.  My approach is not based on a fist or palm sized portion or so many point values for food.  It is based on science and accuracy.  I want you to eat exactly what you body requires at any given time of the day.  No guesswork or averages here, if there is one thing I have learned in all these years of training, it is that there is no average.  Everyone is so different, from their genetics to their daily routine, so no cookie cutter diet will fit all people.

I do not like the typical diet that doesn’t require you to count calories or monitor the types of protein, carbohydrates and fats you consume.  Maybe the average sedentary person who is going to try and lose weight by diet alone, can use this haphazard approach but you can’t.  Basic nutrition and performance nutrition are two completely different things.  The diet approach you will learn will keep your body a well tuned machine.

You can apply some of my nutrition techniques in a simple manner where you don’t have to weigh or measure your food.  You will still see results, but you will not get the kind of results that you would if you follow my approach to the letter. If you are not following a precise calculated approach, you won’t know what to change to make your diet suit you better.